This invention relates to both an apparatus, and the method of its usage, for copying and reproducing an image onto foodstuffs, or the like, such as cakes, pies, ice creams, cheese, and the materials, principally for decorating purposes, but more particularly provides for the transfer rather visually and accurately of any pictorial representation desired for reproduction upon the surface of any related type of aforementioned items.
The prior art concerned with the application of decorative means to various foodstuffs, such as the surface of a cake, essentially derived over the years as an individual craft of the artisans skilled efforts in providing personalized decorations to such components. For example, early ornamentations provided to cakes, cookies, and related types of foodstuffs, fairly well depended upon the skill, dexterity, and imagination of the baker, or those craftsmen working for him, in order to get any facsimile of decoration upon the finished cake product, or the like. The problem is, and which now prevails in many areas where personal talents are required, concerns finding such skilled artisans in this day and age who are still dedicated towards perfecting and performing their developed arts; and seeking and find such talent is very difficult.
Hence, and as a result, various substitutes have by necessity been devised for use for decorating food products, and the process has been relegated to a manual manipulation, obviating the need for the talent of any artisan. For example, in the U.S. Pat. No. 2,353,594, to Seagren, there is disclosed means for decorating edible products, and in this particular instance, the product generally comprises a bas relief type of a mold that can be supplied with a quantity of edible soluble material that is detachably secured thereto and which can be transferred onto the surface of a cake, as shown, for quickly adding decorativeness to the shown food product. Obviously, while this means for decorating cakes certainly accellerates the time needed to perform this particular task, once the mold or instrument is constructed for transferring the particular image desired, only that image alone can be transferred during subsequent applications. Hence, both the means for decoration, and the image produced, is governed by a fixed parameter that does not allow for variation in the reproduction of the image as derived from this prior art type of invention.
Various other food decorating proccesses have been given consideration, more contemporarily, such as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 4,024,287, as devised by Golchert. The disclosed process provides a method for decorating various confectionery food items such as cakes, and the like, through the application of a thin transfer medium through a designed transfer sheet that can be applied, as through rubbing, as shown and described, to the surface of a food product. This particular food concept, in the prior art, is not too unlike the method in which children transfer tattoos, or the like, from a transfer sheet to the surface of their skin, or clothing, in order to obtain a transposition of image. See also Pat. No. 683,765, that issued to Howard. But, once again, the image obtained is obviously fixed and predetermined by the pictorial representation originally applied to the transfer sheet itself. Variations on it cannot be obtained, unless a differing image is previously imprinted onto the transfer sheet itself.
Various other prior art transferring devices have been considered in the prior art, such as the pressure-sensitive reusable transfer element shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,904,803, to Brown, et al, but the identified invention is totally unrelated to the culinary arts, and has nothing to do with the field of edible products. As explained therein, the reusable transfer element is of the squeeze-out type known in the carbon paper and ribbon field, includes a bonding layer of a resinous ink material being applied to it, wherein the composition comprises a water-soluble film forming binder material and having a micro-porous surface for acceptance of the ink layer in a particular pattern for use during pressure-sensitive applications.
It is, therefore, the principle object of this invention to provide means for transferring an image onto the surface of edible foodstuffs, or other material, through the use of the apparatus of this invention wherein the parameters for the design to be transferred can be varied simply through a replacement of the photographic image, or other design, functioning as the source image for transfer during performance of the invention.
Another object of this invention is to provide an automatic mechanical, chemical, optical and electronic method for the transfer of any desired image from a photograph or other picture to an edible surface or the like while obviating the need for any skilled or artistic performance during application of the process.
Still another object of this invention is to provide an apparatus that uniquely combines all or part of the above stated elements for the transfer of images to the surface of a cake, or other foodstuff.
Another object of this invention is the method for transferring a highly accurate image for reproduction upon the surface of an edible item and which can be performed repeatedly through a totally automated process.
Yet another object of this invention is to provide a mechanical apparatus for use for either scribing directly to, or for transposition of chemical or other edible dyes upon a transfer sheet to the surface of a cake, or the confections utilized as a surface coating upon such a foodstuffs, or related type of items.
Yet another object of this invention is to furnish the construction, and its operation, for a uniquely developed scribing instrument useful for either directly transcribing, or cooperating with transfer means, for reproducing a source image upon another and discrete surface.
Still another object of this invention is to provide means for conveniently forming and transferring an image to a remote source after its optical derivation from the photograph, digital storage, a live scene, or the like, as the initial image of focus during a processing.
Yet a very convenient object of this invention is to transfer the portrait of a person, such as a birthday or anniversary celebrant, directly and clearly onto the confectioned surface of a cake, or the like.
Still another object of this invention is to mechanize the processing of layered material, such as a layer of textured confection, to reproduce an image or other pictorial representation thereon, for its ready application to the surface of a cake, or the like, as being decorated.
Yet another object of this invention is to develop into cassette form the various means used in the automated transfer of and reproduction upon a foodstuff or the like of an image from a remote source.
Another object of this invention is to provide the means for reproducing in multi-colored medium an image onto the surface of foodstuff, or related item, from a remote source.
Still a primary object of this invention is to provide the desired constituent of a receptor foodstuff upon which an image from a differing source is reproduced.
A further object of this invention is to provide a novel process for performing image transferring with respect to foodstuffs.
These and other object will become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon reviewing the summary of this invention, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment, in view of the drawings.